I am a female senior citizen being harassed by two male tenants in my building. It started out as verbal but this past Saturday one of them threw some objects at my closed door while I was home. I made two complaints about their harassment to the security department in my development. Management seems to know who they are, especially since one of them followed me into the office when I made the complaint. They seem to be bad tenants with a history. However, when later asked, the office would not tell me the tenants names nor apartment numbers. I live on the first floor near the entrance so they know where I live and all I know is that they do not live on my floor. One of them may not even live in my building.My son has told me to contact the NYPD the next time there is an incident, which is why I want their names and apt. #s. Under these circumstances, do I have the right to this information? The incidents just seem to be escalating despite the security office filing reports. Thank you.

First, make sure your complaint to the LL is in writing. Send them a letter explaining what occurred, and - important - it's impact on you. How you have been bullied and intimidated, and the fear this has brought you.

Then yes, complain to the NYPD. Don't expect them to do much, but get in in writing to the police.

I would also contact your elected officials, asking them to prod the police and management. Assuming there is no reason these individuals are doing this (which if there was doesn't make it OK), then I would think they are targeting people at random and others are also being targeted.

As for their names, I can't say if you have a legal right to them. The police can get the names from management.

The Tenant Network(tm) for Residential Tenants Information from TenantNet is from experienced non-attorney tenant activists and is not considered legal advice.Subscribe to our Twitter Feed @TenantNet

Today I had a meeting with the manager of the development and the security supervisor. They said both individuals were mentally challenged, have lived here a long time, are well known as being a nuisance, but would be hard to legally evict due to the current nature of housing court (whatever that means). One lives in my building and the other lives in a another building but has "visitor privileges" because he is friends with the harasser who lives in my building. They told me to go to the police and make a report, which I did.I feel the second harasser should have his visitor privileges revoked. What is the best way to make this known to management? Should I write them a letter? He is not using his privileges for any legitimate purpose, just to wander around and bother people. I was surprised to learn that he does not live in my building because he acts like he owns my building. They gave me their names and apartment numbers, btw, because I said I wanted to file a police report.Thanks for your help.

Is it legal for me to videotape the harassing tenants while they enter the building or are in the lobby? I am in my apartment, standing in my doorway while doing the filming. They have used the lobby as their launching area for most of their harassment (playing loud music, making loud threats and profanity, etc) and I live off the lobby. They claimed to management that I am harassing them by taping them, but I am taping them in order to keep them from harassing me. Can anyone refer me to a general source of info as to a person's rights as to videotaping or photography in their home or residence? Thanks.

New York is a one-party consent state, meaning if you record a phone call or set up a surveillance camera, only one party (in this case you) needs to know about it. There are some other states that are two-party states, but in NY it's entirely legal.

Having said that, you are not surveilling in that sense. From what you've said, you are standing in your doorway with a camera, and that - in our opinion - is completely legal. Even landlords can legally set up cameras as long as they are focused on public areas of the building, i.e., hallways and lobbies. They cannot be focused on the interior of tenants' apartments.I say focused as that is where they are pointed. If they inadvertently grab a few square feet of a tenants apartment when the door is wide open, as long as the general focus is on the hallway or lobby, it's OK. That's for landlords. As far as we know, what you are doing is legal.

BTW, what you describe is certainly a nuisance. I don't know if it's really harassment.

The Tenant Network(tm) for Residential Tenants Information from TenantNet is from experienced non-attorney tenant activists and is not considered legal advice.Subscribe to our Twitter Feed @TenantNet